How to have a successful comic convention for artists and writers

Engage – For many artists and writers, human interaction is something that causes great anxiety. Yes, you have to talk to people. Fortunately, you are creative and that means you can harness your innate, and sometimes inactive, extrovert powers and use them. The con is the perfect time to do this, especially if it is slow and there are just a few people passing your table. Stand up, say, “Hey, how’s it going? Are you having a good con?” and let the conversation flow from there. You don’t have to talk about your artwork though it’s the perfect time to do so. What you want to do is make a connection. Even if the person doesn’t buy something right then, they will come back. (And don’t worry if the person rushes past your table; like spiders, they are just as afraid of the interaction as you are. Unlike spiders, they are not venomous unless they have had a terrible accident with radioactive Gila monsters and that’s less than 1% of the population.)

Find the media – (This makes my job easier.) Most cons have some sort of media coverage. Find them and get involved. Honestly, if you make the person’s job easier, he or she is going to love it, and if you can work it right, you’ll enjoy a little (to a lot of) extra exposure. Many cons now have podcasts and radio shows that have booths. Find them and ask if they are doing interviews for the con. Pitch them what you are selling and see if they are interested in doing a segment with you. (This may also mean that you will want to bring someone to help you with the handling of your booth while you are away.) If you aren’t able to do an interview right away, you might get the person’s information and contact him or her later on about an interview or story.

Have a banner – For videos and photos. Your banner should include your name, an example of your artwork, and one way to get in touch with you. That way it can appear in videos that you aren’t even a part of and in photos of you and those who have purchased something from you. Can’t afford a banner? Print out several pages and piece one together with at least your name in large letters and one way to find you on the Internet. Find a way to hang that behind you.Use business cards – Have a multitude of business cards. Have hundreds to thousands of them depending on the size of the con. You might not make a sale at the con, but your business card can help make a sale later. Your truly successful con won’t be covering the fees you’ve paid to be there (which is great); it will be the orders for products you get later on.

Have a website – Have a real website that you can put on your business card (and include your social media contact info). The easier the website is to write in a browser, the more likely you and your work is to be found. This is especially important for those who have multiple outlets where their items can be purchased. Your website, hopefully something like jonboymeyers.com or colwellillustration.com, can highlight what you want people to buy and where you want them to buy from. Depending on your product, you may even be able to monetize your website for a little extra cash. If your website contains .wix or .weebly or something more complicated, it isn’t going to be picked up by the search engines as readily. Authors are competing with goodreads among other websites to get found through search engines.

Accept credit cards – People spend more when they have a credit card. You’re not just helping yourself and stepping into the 21st century, you are also helping every other artist and vendor at the con.

Have something original – Yes, most con goers are only going to buy what they are familiar with when it comes to art and prints. Your Batman meets the Avengers is going to sell better than anything original that you do. But it is your originality that the world needs. Come up with something original and get it out there. Let people see who you are as an artist and creator and give yourself what you deserve artistic respect and integrity. You can still do the other things because you gots to pay the bills, but original ideas are far more valuable in the long run.

You are busy, and you need to have time to create. You probably have a limited budget, so you are going to have to pick and choose what you can do. But we want you to be able to create more because the world needs your art, your originality and your creativity. Hopefully these tips will help you be more successful.